Mutterings of a Mad Woman

Kromwell is a silent witness, sent ahead of his Master to decide the fate of sinners and non-believers (definitions of these two terms are based on guidelines from a very different 'holy book' than one we are familiar with).

He is silent judgment.

He is unbiased and unswayable, listening to our conversations. Our thoughts. Scanning for key words and intentions.

He is blind to everything but the clear purpose given to him by his Master: find the unworthy. Catalog their guilt. Report back.

In this court of one, there are no defending arguments or plea bargains.

You don't even know you're on the stand.

But when the Master arrives, there is no mistaking that the wrath of judgment is upon you.

It's full steam ahead today as I try to get pictures taken, stories written and all the tiny details that go into show prep finished. Sunday is Art-O-Con in Burlington, and today is my last block of free time to get everything together.

I'm going to try and get more pictures and bios posted today and tomorrow. For now, here are three new Plague Doctors (there will be four total for sale at the show). Note the guy on the right: I decided to try something new and put his hat on his back, hung around his neck with straps. I like it.

That's all for now. I'm off to sort through 47 other pictures.

The artist list for the show has exploded, and there's going to be a lot of talent there this weekend. I'll be at table A8 beside Fangoria. Take a look at the floor plan to see all the goodies happening this Sunday.

Nastri knows his destiny as a demon. All his friends are demons. His relatives are demons. Even his pet dog is demonic.

He's just a little unsure about acting like one.

Nastri is ready to fulfill his role in this known universe and the dark realms in-between. He has mastered a booming laugh, can conjure nightmares, melt faces just by imagining it, and yet...yet...

"I'm just a little insecure about it all. Part of it is not sleeping well, I know, but I'm kept up by all the expectations placed upon me. And I'm scared when I'm in the moment, I won't make the right decision. I mean, how do you know when you should make the walls bleed or if it's better to just jump in with a full possession? People keep saying 'you'll feel it' or 'you just know' but when you're starting out, you don't know. It's all very intimidating."

A powerful patrician in his homeland, Graebor holds sway over his fellow countrymen of the proud Waug race.

With a family tree where every branch blooms aristocracy, there is a certain expectation for the sons and daughters of this bloodline.

The family credo is behave as if you hold power, and power is yours.

Though not officially in a position of authority, Graebor and his ancestors have always had (and sometimes threatened to sever) the ear of army commanders and royalty. Crossing Graebor or disagreeing with him publicly is the equivalent of signing one's own death warrant both socially and, if rumours are to be believed, in the literal sense as well.

As the current eldest male, Graebor is the head of the family. Persuasive, cold, cunning, and outwardly calm, he projects unshakeable leadership. Rarely does one see even a glimpse of the restrained rage undulating beneath his skin, behind his eyes.

I am breaking my tradition of starting my show/convention season in late summer, and have signed up to do Art-O-Con in Burlington on May 5th. It's a new convention of really talented local artists with interests ranging from science fiction, to monster goodness, to things of strange and quirky beauty. If you - like me - love FanExpo best for artist alley, and seeing leagues of storm troopers and daleks hanging about, then you need to come out to this event. Besides, with a title like Art-O-Con II: the Wrath of Con, how can you resist?

Since this event is taking place so very far away from the leave-strewn season of hallowed Halloween, I wanted to make sure I had some smaller items on the table that might be more widely embraced than, say, pumpkins during a month when more people are thinking about what to plant in their garden or how they'll fit into a summer dress rather than plotting Halloween celebrations (though really, who are these people and why are their priorities so skewed? *wink*).

That is how I came up with a collection of Bad JuJu figures. Talismans, if you will. Not quite voodoo dolls, but with all the hoodoo potential a ghoul might want. Adorned with feathers and fur (some with twine, or beads, or black rope), each hand sculpted figure sits upon a uniquely decorated open crate. People can leave the crate as is, or they can remove the paper filler and replace it with their own superstitious bits and bobs: some chicken bones, a lost tooth, some beach glass, little skulls, whatever they like.

Since I'm planning on keeping one for myself (I think it's important artists keep one example of a collection they made), I might fill it with a bunch of items and have it on display to encourage people to get creative with their new purchase.

So take a look at the additional pictures below, and tell me what you think.

The need to reorganize my art inventory and tackle all those projects started - but never finished - during the dark months of winter, however, indicates to me that we are moving into a new season.

2013 has been a wild and crazy ride so far. Almost everyone I know is in the middle of huge life changes that are culminating at the end of this month/start of April. Some are moving to new cities, or provinces, and even (possibly) to foreign countries to begin new jobs. A whole whack of people are buying new houses. Four couples I know are getting divorced (or separated). And sadly, reports of serious illness - some just temporary, others lifelong afflictions - keep coming in.

You might have seen this image in the National Post and thought "Oh look, a rainbow skull! How pretty!". But if you looked closer, you'd realize it was made up of tiny zombies. Not just any zombies, but Walking Dead zombies. Every single one that's been killed through the entire show so far on screen.

Scroll down further, and you see a close-up of each one, labeled with who killed them and what weapon they used.

And why the different colours? Why, they are colour-coded of course, by season and whether they are male or female.

"While AMC lets The Walking Dead gang take a short mid-season break – the Post’s Andrew Barr and Richard Johnson look at a few of the key statistics of two-and-a-half season’s worth of undead mayhem. They find noteworthy – the gradual increase in the body count, the increasingly creative means of Zombie dispatch, and the fact that every character seems to have developed a clear enjoyment for putting the ambulatory cadavers down for good."

Looking for something a little more undead? A little taste of Halloween?

Well here it is. A set of 3 zombie wreath ornaments. Each zombie head is one of a kind, hand sculpted and painted, hung in a festive mini wreath, waiting to spread the disease...er...the joy of the season.

Each wreath measures approximately 3 inches high/wide, with an extra inch or so of a bendable hanging stem (size varies a little because I actually form the wreaths myself using wire-based, faux-vine decorative strand).

This week Monkey Boo turns 1 year old. Since she was a rescue from a puppy mill, her paperwork is inconsistent when it comes to what day she was born. Some point to December 1, others point to December 5 (which we think is the more likely date).

In honour of her first birthday (and with it being Christmas time), I'm having an Etsy sale based around the numbers 1 and 5.

First, all orders - despite size - will cost $15 orless for shipping across North America.

And second, for those who read my blog or Twitter or Facebook , you can save an additional 15% off the cost of the item by using the code HAPPYBIRTHDAYBOO.

Using the code in addition to the lower shipping rates will save some folks $20 for certain items!

The sale runs from Monday, December 3 to Monday, December 10th. After that, the code expires and shipping prices go back to normal.

Monkey Boo would like to mention that each purchase you make translates into presents (and dogfood and treats) for others (including her), so head on over to the shop and get that Christmas shopping done!

I thought I was being kind, putting my pumpkin out back to live the last of his days naturally.

Instead, I've subjected him to squirrel torture. I can almost hear him screaming at night "They're eating my face!".

He doesn't look too happy about it either.

I hope he isn't planning revenge.

But I sort of know how he feels. November has been somewhat unpleasant so far. Halloween is over. Everyone is exhausted.

Then a week ago Sunday little Miss Monkey Boo decided to do a backward summersault with a twist off the couch, landing hard with her hind leg beneath her, knocking her left knee cap loose. She already has a slippery kneecap in the right hind leg. We've been on total rest duty since Sunday November 4th.